Same Love

5:Uprooted

The first thing he heard when he awoke were screams and he was quick to jump up, able to get his brain in gear rather quickly. He flung himself off of the ground, wondering how he got there and drew his bow, hitting several walkers blindly before really waking up. They were back at camp and they were being attacked. He shot more accurately, taking down as many as he could before resorting to his knife, stabbing countless walkers. As everything died down he saw Andrea craddling Amy in her arms and Nate laying on the ground. His heart dropped and he rushed towards the RV, the shocked group watching as he collapsed by the dying Nate. He took the man in his arms, shaking him, checking for bite marks. He frantically lifted his arms, seeing the bleeding gash with a few teeth still in the flesh. Sam felt he was going to be sick, buried his face in the man's chest and sobbed, feeling a hand run through his hair as he'd done that morning and cupping Nate's face in his hands.

"please, stay with me" He cried, feeling the dying man's hands trailing down his side as his tears soaked pale cheeks.

"I love you" Nate whispered before his arms fell from Sam's back. Sam shook him and shouted, kissed him over and over again and buried his face in the man's abdomen, weeping and screaming. The group could only look on in sadness and Carl covered his ears as the male continued to cry. He cried until the sun rose high and the heat set in, morning had broken and he couldn't be more bitter

"Nate, Nathan! I love you too, please don't go! Baby!" He yelled as he was pulled away by Rick and Daryl, fighting them as he was carried further away from the body. He slumped in defeat, burying his face in his hands as he sat by the lake, alone and sobbing uncontrollably. He never cried when his parents died but now he felt all the tears spilling out as he wept. Just that previous morning they had shared sweet kisses and whispered sweet nothings to eachother the night before as they were reunited. It seemed too cruel. He raged at the sky, cursing god who he was now sure didn't exist.

Lori watched the man down at the lake as he yelled at the sky and fekt her heart reach out as she looked down at the dead boy that Glenn and Dale carried to a suitable place. She never understood homosexuals but she knew how misunderstood they were. She felt she was seeing a vulnerable side to Sam they'd never see again as he cried. She could see the love between them in those last moments, saw how Nate looked at him, saw how Sam sobbed as he whispered goodbye. Carl wanted to go and console Sam but Lori told him no, settling for staring at the distrught man and blocking out his curses. Glenn and T-dog burnt the bodies of those dead and left Nate and Amy as Glenn went to tell Sam to end Nate before he became a walker. The man was silent as he walked to the body of his dead lover once more and took out his knife, brushing a stray hair from his face and kissing him one last time before driving the knife into his skull and rolling the body to a hole that Jim had dug. He started to pile dirt over him, burying him fully before nodding to the others solemnly and dissapearing into his tent. There he sat, staring at Nate's empty sleeping bag. After hours of staring off into space lost in his own thoughts, Rick appeared to tell Sam that they were leaving for the CDC and Sam packed both his and Nate's things, placing them in the back of the truck neatly and sitting in the back as he waited for the others, most still in shock. He hadn't spoken to anyone since they had arrived back at camp and he took his notebook out of his bag, jotting down his thoughts, his feelings, his desires. He yearned for something to pull him out of this slump but then he smiled bitterly, Nate would have been able to.

The group set off from the camp, leaving behind the dead and their memories of the place. He now noticed he was int he truck with Daryl, the pickup rattling noisily. It seemed Daryl wasn't one for small talk and he was thankful for it, heaven forbid he be stuck with the talkative asian on the way to the CDC. They stopped to leave Jim behind along the way, still making no conversation until Daryl decided he couldn't take it. No matter how sullen he was he could never sit in a depressed silence when he knew he could try to help.